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Monday, October 21, 2013

Love After War teaser

The last thing Dana Singleton ever
wanted was to find herself alone with the man who’d broken her heart two years
ago. She’d put three thousand miles between them twenty-four months ago only to
find that the moment she returned to Los Angeles, she was trapped with him in
the middle of a brownout.

Adrian Bryant.

God, she thought, why do you hate me?

“This
is insane,” Adrian said, then looked over at Dana. And a slow smile spread
across his face when he recognized her. “Long time no see.” When he reached out
to embrace her, Dana pushed back.

“Don’t
you dare touch me,” she said. “How dare you even look at me or expect me to be
thrilled to see you?”

“Don’t
act like that,” he said, offering her a sizzling smile. In the near darkness of
the coffee shop, his smile damn near lit up the place.

“Act
like what? Like I can’t stand to be in the same room with you? Trust and
believe, it is not an act,” she snapped. Oh, she hated him and the way he still
made her heart flutter with a powerful yearning to fall into those strong arms
and press her mouth against his while he slowly kissed her until her body
melted against his. Looking away from him, she forced herself to remember being
dumped by text message. It’s for the
best. I’m moving on and you should do the same, the message had read. She
closed her eyes and rubbed
her temples. That
night replayed in her mind like a bad movie in a broken DVD player. She’d felt
stupid, confused, and disappointed. But she had taken the hint and left. If
only she’d told Imani and Universal Studios no. Then she’d still be in New York
and not running into Adrian on his home turf, Los Angeles.

She expelled a frustrated sigh because when
she opened her eyes, he was still there. Still staring at her with that
spectacular smile on his face.

“Dana,
I know I owe you a huge apology and an explanation as to why—”

“You
don’t owe me a damned thing, and I definitely don’t want to hear any apology
you took two years to come up with.”

Adrian
stared at her, soaking up Dana’s unique beauty. The long dreadlocks were new
and very sexy. She had caramel-colored skin that made him salivate as he
thought about all the places he used to lick and how sweet she tasted between
her thighs. Letting her go had been the worst thing he’d ever had to do. But it
was necessary. He only wished he could come clean with her now. But his mission
wasn’t complete and the last thing he wanted was to get her caught up in his
plan.

Dana
snapped her fingers in Adrian’s face. “Thinking of a pretty lie to tell me?”

“Can
we talk about it over a cup of coffee?” he asked, smiling at her and making
Dana snarl in response.

“You
know what, Adrian? I’ve grown up since the last time I saw you. Decided that I
deserve someone who knows how to treat me and that isn’t you. So, hell no. I
don’t want to talk to you over coffee. I don’t want to talk to you period.”

“I
was trying to protect you, Dana,” he said, his voice low, a sexy growl that
made her body twitch. The same voice that he used to whisper sweet promises in
her ear. Turning her back to him, Dana tried to pretend she wasn’t affected. As long as he doesn’t touch me, I’ll be
fine, she thought. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he
said. “Sorry for what I did and the way things looked. But it was for the
best.”

“It
was. And when the power comes back on, we can pretend you’re still gone.”

Adrian
spun her around, drinking in her delicate features. Though her eyes flashed
anger and resentment, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
The love of his life. The only thing not touched by his need for revenge. What
could he say to her to explain what his life had become?

“What?”
she snapped, locking eyes with him.

He
knew the right thing to do when it came to Dana was to leave her alone, to walk
away and continue his quest. But at that moment, in the silence of the darkened
coffee shop, all he wanted was a sweet taste of his past. A kiss from Dana. He
leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. He felt her heat, passion, and want.
When her lips parted and his tongue slipped inside, her sweetness nearly brought
him to his knees. Closer. He had to be closer to her, and he wrapped her in his
arms as if he were a blanket. She didn’t resist him, didn’t push him away.
Instead, she kissed him back as if no time had passed since their lips last
touched. She made him feel as if her mouth had been waiting for his. That
couldn’t be the case . . . could it?

Dana’s
brain clicked and she realized she wasn’t dreaming about kissing Adrian; she was kissing him. Relishing in the touch
of his tongue against her lips and savoring the hint of mint that his mouth
always held. She wasn’t imagining that his fingers were gliding up and down her
spine; it was actually happening. The man she loved. The man who’d broken her
heart with a text message. Kiss over. She pulled back, snatched away from him,
and angrily eyed him. “What in the hell is wrong with you?” Dana demanded.

“Me?
I didn’t kiss myself and from what I felt, you’re happy to see me.”

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About Cheris

The writing bug bit hard and early for Bennettsville, SC native Cheris
F. Hodges. As a student at Marlboro County High School, Hodges knew she
was going to be a writer. She joined the school's newspaper staff and
decided journalism was the way to go.

Upon graduating in 1995, she enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University and
majored in journalism, all the while working on her novels.